The Attribute of the Strong
by PadawanMage
Summary: How did Princess Leia handle finding out that she was the daughter of Darth Vader? Set immediately after Return of the Jedi. Read and Review! Updated! Chapter 2 and Complete, May 7,2005
1. Default Chapter

**Title**: "The Attribute of the Strong"

**Spoilers:** "The Phantom Menace' through 'Return of the Jedi'

**Summary:** How did Princess Leia handle finding out that she was the daughter of Darth Vader?

**Author's Notes:** In the films, we, as the audience, got to see how Luke handled finding out that he was the son of the Dark Lord of the Sith, but we're never shown – or it was never revealed – how Leia handled the news as well. We just see her react in disbelief when Luke tells her that Vader is his father in 'Jedi', but we don't get a reaction when she realized she was also related to Vader. I just wanted to see if I could try and explore her feelings, especially since Leia may have a possible future with Han Solo.

This story takes place a day or so after the ending of 'Return of the Jedi'.

Reviews and Critiques are welcome!

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The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. 

_-Gandhi_

"Okay, your worshipfulness, what's the matter?" Han Solo asked.

"Why should anything be the matter?"

"Well, it's the day after we destroyed the Death Star, the Emperor is dead, the Imperial Navy is scattered, we've got the galaxy's biggest party going on right here…and you're hiding in the cockpit of my ship…sitting in my seat, no less."

Princess Leia Organa looked chagrined as she glanced up at the legs she had propped up on to the instrument panel of the Millennium Falcon. Her glance went from them to the figure of Han Solo leaning near the entryway of the cockpit

"Guess I shouldn't have put my feet up there, huh?"

Han smirked. "Well, it did surprise me somewhat when I walked past and noticed the white boots, and since I already know Chewie's shoe size…"

Unable to restrain herself, Leia laughed at the mental image of the 7-foot Wookie walking around in her size of boots. She quickly sobered when Han seated himself across from her in the co-pilot's chair. She sighed.

"Sorry, Han. I - I just needed to be alone for a bit."

"Oh," was all Han said and left it at that. Leia had to suppress a grin. They loved each other; she had known that much yesterday when they both nearly died in each other's arms during the fight to get to the shield generator. It was definitely the start of…something. But there was still so much about the man she just didn't know. Could she truly trust him with what she had recently found out?

Han caught Leia's look of worry and leaned over to place a hand on top of hers.

"Hey, Princess, what's bothering you? C'mon, you can tell me."

Leia searched deeply into her would-be lover's eyes. _Can I, Han?_ she thought. _Can I tell you what I found out only days ago? How I went from fear, to joy and then immediately back to fear in the span of a few breaths? Fear for Luke when he had to leave us that one last time to meet his destiny with…his father. Joy, when I realized that I had true family in a brother I had never really known. Yes, I felt something was there for him all the time, but feeling is worlds apart from knowing. Then my fear returned when I came to grips with being the daughter of someone I hated all of my life. To know that the same blood flows through my veins. Luke had months to come to grips with who our father was…I've only had a few days._

Han sighed as he could see the conflict in Leia's eyes. "Look, Leia," he started. "Does this have anything to do with what you and Luke were talking about a few nights ago before the attack?"

"A little bit." _Now there's an understatement._ Before Han could form a reply, Leia squeezed his hand and leaned forward. "Han, do you remember your parents?"

He blinked in bemusement. So thrown off was he by the question, he sat back in his seat and ran a hand through his brown hair. "My parents?" he repeated. His face screwed up a little in tentative thought. "No," he said slowly. "No, I can't say that I do." He pursed his lips, looked at Leia and then shrugged. "Most of my earliest memories involved working in a trading clan with a bunch of other street kids." He grimaced. "The only person I could call family – if I wanted to – was a cousin who was in the same trading clan." Han sighed and looked out past the cockpit. "No, now that I remember, I wouldn't want to call him family, not with the stuff he pulled." His eyes grew distant for a moment before he refocused in the here and now and looked at Leia. "Why are you asking me this?"

"I don't have any memories of my mother," Leia said quietly. "I only remember that she was beautiful, kind…and very sad. For a long time I always wondered why she was always crying. I never thought I'd ever find out why."

"You lost your father on Alderaan, didn't you?" Han asked quietly.

"My adoptive father – the one who raised me – was Bail Organa." Leia cocked her head slightly. "I never told you that, did I? That I was adopted?"

Han shook his head and frowned slightly. "Princess, is that what this is about? Your parents…I mean, you and Luke's parents?"

Leia swallowed. She'd always prided herself in being self-sufficient; this is one of the reasons why she'd done so well in politics. She'd never had or made time for relationships, giving herself fully to the Rebel cause. And yet she had fallen for this scruffy-looking scoundrel. Leia knew that, ideally, there shouldn't be any secrets in a relationship, and something like this she couldn't keep from Han. She not only wanted to tell Han the truth, but she also wanted – no, _needed_ – to hear it from her own mouth.

"Han," she started and took a deep breath. "My father was – "

"Oh, General Solo! Princess Leia! There you are! I've been looking all over for the two of you!" said C3PO's synthesized voice behind the two of them. Leia stifled a moan and Han leaned back in his chair, shaking his head.

"It never fails," Han said tiredly. Before she could answer, he leaned over and stole a quick kiss before turning to the protocol droid. "What is it now, goldenrod?"

"General Solo, I was instructed to find you and make sure you contacted Admiral Ackbar. There's a communications tent close to where the shield generator stood if you need a transmitter. I believe it has something to do with the Corellian system?"

Han nodded and looked over at the Princess, his eyes clearly conveying: _We'll talk later._ He left the cockpit, his footsteps echoing in the hold. Threepio turned back to Leia.

"Your Highness, if I may, it has been a hectic few days, so I would like to power down for a few hours?"

Leia nodded. "Go ahead, Threepio," she said, looking out at the darkening sky. "Sounds like a good idea, anyway." Leia watched the droid return to the main hold and sit down next to the holochess game just as his photoreceptors winked off. Unconsciously, she yawned as she sat back in the pilot's chair, realizing that the last few days had been taxing on her, both physically and mentally. Han wouldn't be back for some time. She snuggled deeper into the chair and closed her eyes.

* * *

Leia woke with start. Slowly she blinked the sleep away from her eyes and looked at her wrist chronometer. That's odd. She'd only been asleep a few minutes, yet it was already pitch black outside. Leia shrugged; she'd never really had time to note when sunrise and sunset occurred here on Endor. The shrug turned to a yawn, which made her arch her back. The yawn suddenly died in her throat and she froze stiff in mid-stretch at the small sounds coming from the main hold. 

Footsteps.

Leia frowned. Years of experience as a rebel leader had helped her, especially when it came to covert ops and the art of stealth. The footsteps were very soft and deliberate…not the sound of someone casually walking in. She knew it couldn't be Han since he had no reason to be that quiet, and since she was a light sleeper, she would have noticed the characteristic heavy-footed swagger that he always used when he walked around his own ship. No one she knew - who had any right to be on board in the first place – would be trying to sneak around the Falcon.

Which meant…

Fully alert Leia left the seat and leaned against the control rook bulkhead next to the main compartment hatch, squeezing herself small. There had been so many Imperial troops on the planet during the raid. It was still an ongoing operation to find them all. Some had fled into the forests when the tide of battle had turned against them, those the Ewoks were out hunting. It wouldn't be too far fetched that one or two had come back for a last parting shot, and who better to take out than an important leader?

Quietly, she slipped her small blaster out of her shoulder holster, giving silent thanks to Han who'd taught her to keep a spare charge clip handy. After checking the blaster's charge, she slowly got out of the pilot's seat and peered around the corner. From where she stood, nothing looked out of the ordinary. Threepio still sat there, deactivated, and then she noticed some movement reflected off the protocol droid's golden surface. Leia's eyes narrowed. She knew she'd have only one chance at this, especially if the would-be assassin had a cell of compatriots somewhere else close by. Gripping her weapon tightly, she leapt around the corner.

"Freeze!" she yelled…and nearly lost her resolve.

A small sandy-haired boy, who couldn't have been more than 10 years old, yelped and jumped away from where he'd been standing near Threepio.

The blaster in Leia's grip wavered and she gaped at the boy. She pointed her weapon left then right in quick succession, looking for any signs of a trap. The weapon went right back to the boy, who stared at her, wild-eyed. They stood there for several moments, a surreal tableau, neither saying nor doing anything. Leia looked the boy up and down, but couldn't find anything harmful in the brown breeches and cloak he wore. Finally, realizing the foolishness of the situation, Leia slowly lowered her weapon and brought a hand up in a (hopefully) soothing gesture.

"Shhh…it's okay!" she said. "I'm sorry…I didn't…I didn't realize…" Leia stopped and frowned. "Wait. Who are you and how did you get here?"

The boy still said nothing, his eyes flickering to the silent Threepio. Leia caught the gaze and briefly wondered if the boy couldn't speak Galactic Standard. Did he know that Threepio was a protocol droid? Another thought hit her: was this boy a prisoner? Although the shield complex had been destroyed, the surrounding structures were still intact. If she remembered correctly, searches had found nothing in the form of Imperial prisoners. Could the boy have escaped and lived on his own in the forests? But he looked too young to have survived in the forest alone and there was no gauntness in his cheeks that Leia could see. It was the eyes though, that truly caught the Princess' attention: something old and solemn lived behind those eyes. Something else as well: sadness, though when that gaze turned to Leia, it almost looked like…yearning. The boy's mouth opened and he said something just below a whisper. Leia strained to hear but all she caught was what she thought was the word, 'angel'.

Slowly, she holstered her blaster and looked back. "I'm not sure if you can understand me, but were you a prisoner of the Empire?"

The boy gasped and took a step back. In alarm, Leia stepped forward, hand outstretched.

"Wait…I didn't mean…Wait!" she yelled, just as the boy bolted down the main ramp and out of the ship. "Dammit!" Leia swore as she grabbed a flashlight and dashed out after the boy.

* * *

Even with illumination, the darkness surrounding Leia was hard to cut through. Deeper and deeper she ran into the woods, shining the light here and there and every so often getting just a glimpse of something beyond the range of the beam. She stopped briefly to catch her breath, idly wondering if she could use the Force to find the boy. The thought died as quickly as it came. No, she didn't want to use it…not with the awesome responsibility that came with it. She'd seen the way Luke used the Force during the fight on Jabba's Barge – not to mention the times she'd seen him practice with his lightsaber; Luke had looked like poetry in motion then, fighting off all those remotes. Leia however could remember times where she would feel a flickering of something at certain times in her life. One moment that still felt fresh in her mind was during her first visit to Coruscant with Bail Organa, she'd been in the presence of the Emperor himself. She never did forget how cold the reception hall felt at the moment. 

A twig snapped and she whirled. There! The boy stood, yards away, just looking at her. As Leia got closer to where she had seen the boy last, she noticed a dim glow deep in the woods. She shut her own light off, since the glow was bright enough to navigate by. Passing a few trees, she came to a large clearing in the woods with a very large bonfire burning in the center. She took two steps into the clearing…and then stopped.

Leia cocked her head and strained to listen and heard...nothing. She took a few steps back, thinking it had something to do with the roaring fire. But after a few moments, she couldn't deny it: aside from the crackling flames, there were no other sounds. No birds flew through the air; no nocturnal animals announced their presence and no insects issued their distinctive mating calls. This whole area was deathly quiet and a chill ran down Leia's back. She was considering going back, when the boy appeared standing just on the other side of the fire and looking solemnly back at her.

Even through the flames, something about those blue eyes gave Leia pause. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something familiar about them. Taking a deep breath and keeping an eye on the boy, she walked into the clearing and around the large bonfire to stand next to him. Both regarded each other warily and for a while, neither said a word, the fire crackling beside them.

"You gave me quite the chase," Leia said quietly.

The boy shrugged, looking a little chagrined. "Sorry."

Leia's eyebrows rose a bit. "You understand me?" The boy nodded. Leia sighed and looked around. "Are you by yourself?" Another nod. "Well, since I did have to chase you around, can I get a name?"

"Ani."

Leia smiled. "That's a nice name. I'm Leia," she said and held out her hand. The boy looked at the hand briefly, before taking it in his. "Mind if I ask how you got here?"

The boy scrunched his face. "I'm not really sure, but I'm think I'm here to do something."

"Like what?"

Before he could answer, the boy's eyes went wide and he looked to the far side of the clearing. Leia followed the gaze to a part of the clearing more indistinct in the firelight than the rest. A light mist blanketed a small, dark path that led deeper into the woods. Leia could make out nothing beyond two large, gnarled trees on either side of the path. None of the light given off by the fire penetrated into the gloom. A small feeling of dread needled into her mind, and she unconsciously hugged herself as a shiver went down her spine.

Leia glanced back down to see Ani keenly watching her. "Are you scared?" he asked. Leia frowned at the question, but glanced back at the path and nodded once. "You shouldn't be, Leia. Fear can bring out the worst in people." Leia looked back at the young boy and blinked.

"That's a very…grownup thing to say, Ani," she said a little cautiously. Her interest more than a little piqued, Leia sat on her knees and looked Ani straight in the eye. "Who are you?" she asked quietly. Rather than answering, the boy bent down pulled something from a small rucksack. He placed a small, cloth-covered bundle in Leia's hands and stepped back.

"That's for you," was all he said.

Leia looked from the bundle to the boy and back. Slowly, she pulled back the folds until she could only stare at what was in her hands: a small, metal cylinder, dull in finish, with a grip on one end and some form of emitter on the other. A small red stud stood out in the middle. Though the Jedi Knights were all – save one – extinct, Leia had seen her brother in action often enough to know that she held a lightsaber in her hands.

"How did you – " Leia began, looking up, but only thin air in front of her. "Ani?"

"Remember what I told you, Leia," a voice said from behind. Leia whipped around to see the young boy only feet away but bound for the entrance to the shadowed path into the wood.

"Ani, don't go in there!" she yelled, but the boy disappeared into the mists. Exasperated that she was still following this child wherever he went, Leia paused only briefly at the path's threshold before walking into the darkness.

-Continued-


	2. Forgiveness

**Author's Note:** First of all, my thanks to all who reviewed! I honestly didn't expect this kind of response. Second, I want to apologize to all for my taking so long to bring a close to this story. I guess with Episode III coming soon, I was a little more motivated. I'm also hoping this story will more than make up for the wait.

There is a very minor spoiler for Episode III towards the end. It's nothing earth shattering, but I felt it did fit into the story.

**Read & Review!**

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**Chapter 2**

"Ani!"

Although unbecoming a princess of her breeding, Leia muttered a curse she'd often heard Han use and wondered, for the tenth time, why she was here and what she was doing looking for a mysterious child who had shown up, had led her into the forest and had disappeared into a stygian path.

She paused briefly in her search for the boy and glanced again at the 'gift' given to her. Why had this – of all things – been left to her? She was definitely no Jedi. If anyone, it should have been Luke to receive this. Even if she acknowledged her parentage, this didn't necessarily mean she had even close to the attunement of the Force she'd seen her brother show. Did that really matter, though, considering who her father was? Leia sighed and shook her head. Why must something as a weapon from a near-extinct order further remind her of where she came from?

Leia cleared her mind of the despairing thoughts and focused on finding that elusive child. The mist continued further in past the gnarled trees, hanging in the air and making it hard to see more than a few feet in front of her. The soft, moist ground beneath Leia's boots was the only indication that she walked on anything solid. Unlike the clearing some ways behind her, this misty alcove held numerous creatures, all hissing and chittering around her; some were slithering between trees, others scampered below in the fog-drenched ground.

"Ani!" she called again, but neither small child, nor answer came forth from the mists. Leia shook her head, again wondering what in the name of the Force she was doing here and where that curious boy had gone. She took one more step…

…and all sounds around her abruptly stopped.

A strong, frigid breeze picked up and Leia shivered. In front of her the wind whipped the fog until it parted, showing more darkness beyond. Through the murky, sable haze, several pairs of glowing eyes blinked at her. The darkness in front of her deepened and slowly coalesced; angles and curves began to take form. More and more of the surrounding darkness converged to form something taller than Leia. As the last of the shadows settled into place, Leia's eyes widened.

What she had taken to be glowing eyes were, in fact, small readouts on a chest.

Even as the murmur of the wind died down, an abysmal rhythmic exhalation took its place. A small rivulet of cold sweat ran down Leia's back as a sound she thought she'd never hear again resonated all around her.

The sound of amplified breathing.

A familiar, black-clad figure towered over Leia, its long, billowing cape whipping around slightly in the wind. Leia could only step back, staring into the sightless sockets of a black armored facemask. While she had been stepping back, her mouth had worked over and over on a name:

"Vader."

Leia's heart thundered in her chest as every instinct screamed at her to run away. As she kept moving back, the figure menacingly moved forward. Leia breathed in short breaths, knowing what this creature was capable of doing to her…or to others.

How much pain, misery and bloodshed had been inflicted by the figure in front of her? How many planets, peoples and cultures were irrevocably damaged or destroyed outright by armies led by this being? And how much of this pain had touched her personally?

_"…and now your Highness, we will discuss the location of your secret, rebel base." Leia watched in horror as the small torture droid rounded the corner and slowly advanced on her, just as Vader looked from it to her, clearly in anticipation…_

…_"No!" Leia screamed, as a gloved hand clamped down on her shoulder pulling her back and forcing her to watch as the massive jade laser lanced out and annihilated Alderaan, destroying all that she loved and cared for…_

…_Han looked serenely back at her as he was slowly lowered into the steaming pit, and Leia watched helplessly as carbonite filled the enclosure, not knowing if the man she'd professed her love to would survive…_

…_Luke, battered, bloodied and wounded, lay on the cot in the Falcon as they all desperately tried to leave Cloud City, and miserably he repeated a name over and over…_

"Vader," Leia now said through gritted teeth. She stopped in her retreat and glared at the Sith Lord. A prevailing awareness, unknown to Leia, began to blossom within her. Every injustice ever witnessed by – or done to – her, made her rage grow exponentially. Power flared and surged around and through her, in tune to her growing anger. The air literally crackled with the energy burgeoning from the Princess. Leia never knew such raw power could come from her – nor did she bother to control it.

She surrendered to it - she _reveled_ in it.

Never had she felt so alive at the thought of the demise of another. The dark figure stopped its advance, as if the storm around the woman gave it pause.

Leia barely acknowledged the _snap-hiss_! of the green, incandescent blade that shot out from the lightsaber in her right hand. Gripping the weapon in both hands, she brought the tip up slightly so it pointed right at her foe's head. Another blade, crimson in color, joined with it, sending sparks crackling between them. The blade reared back, slammed Leia's emerald blade away, and then slashed towards her throat. She easily parried and then went into her own attack, heedless of her own safety, her moves guided by the Force. Each attack, each thrust became more and more vicious, as if the only reason for them was to try and inflict pain and suffering. Leia pushed the Dark Lord farther and farther back down the dark path, making her opponent go on the defensive. A slash downwards forced the red blade away, giving her a small window of opportunity. With the blade raised over her head, she brought it down, going right for the head.

She would kill him…she would avenge every wrong done by this man, this _creature_ – no matter who he was, or had been…she would…

…become him.

_In her mind's eye, she saw herself in some kind of throne room, triumphant over the shattered body of Darth Vader. Behind her, and sitting in a tall, black throne, a cloaked figure cackled. It stood, walked over, and extended a hand. Turning fully, Leia smiled malevolently as she extended her own hand…and golden eyes flashed in feral delight._

"No!" Leia screamed, just as the blade came down – and stopped just a hairs' breadth from the neck of the Dark Lord.

They stood like that for moments, Leia shaking from the sheer force of her anger and Vader doing and saying nothing as the green blade sparked and hissed so close to him. Finally, taking in breath after shocked, shuddering breath, Leia slowly pulled the saber away.

"No," Leia whispered. She took one more deep breath and shut off the saber, tossing it to the ground. "No. I won't become the thing I hate…and I'm not afraid of you anymore."

Her opponent merely looked at her, making no moves. Then, to Leia's surprise, he straightened and slowly faded into the mist. She stood there for several moments until she backed away and returned on the path to the clearing.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The fire still burned in the center as Leia came out of the woods and walked towards it. Rubbing her hands near the flames, she could only shake her head in utter confusion at what she had just experienced. What truly frightened her was how easily she had given into her anger and how much she had enjoyed it. Luke had always talked about the dangers of falling to the lure of dark side. Well, now she could understand. But what she had gone through…was it a dream…it couldn't have been real?

"Hello, Leia."

Leia's head snapped to her right. Standing a few feet away from her, wearing black and dun colored robes, was a blonde blue-eyed man. He was somewhat taller than she was, long blonde hair, compactly built, handsome…and yet, when Leia stared into those blue eyes, eagerness and solemnity were as apparent as they were in another pair of blue eyes she'd seen just moments earlier.

"Ani?"

The young man smiled and nodded. "That was my name…once…it was actually Anakin…Anakin Skywalker." He searched every bit of her face and shook his head in amazement. "There is so much of your mother that I see in you, Leia."

Leia's jaw dropped a bit and she blinked several times. "F – Father?" On this odd night of disappearing young boys and reappearing ghosts of dead enemies, accepting that this handsome young person who stood before was…had been her father wasn't too hard. That this person had also become Darth Vader…it was almost as if she was considering two separate people.

"Something like that," Anakin said quietly, as if in answer to her thoughts.

Leia shook her head. "You were the little boy I chased?"

" I was Ani…I grew up to be Anakin…and I turned into Vader," he finished in a whisper.

Leia frowned in confusion. "Why are you here – are you, really here, I mean? What was all that in the woods? Is this – any of this – real?" Even as she asked she looked back at the misty path she'd just come from. "That – that was you, wasn't it?"

Anakin nodded. "I had to make you see for yourself, Leia."

"See what?" Leia replied in exasperation. "That I'm susceptible to the dark side? That I am capable of striking down someone in anger? I was this close to killing you!"

"But you didn't, Leia," Anakin said. "Even when it came down to it, when you were just about to fall into the precipice, you chose not to. You chose not to give in to your anger and you pulled back."

"But that – that test I went through was just that: a test. It wasn't even real!"

"Your anger was real, Leia, that's all that mattered. The power you called forth and felt was real as well. Even your decision to turn back and deny your fear was very much real." Anakin shook his head, despair in his voice. "You did something I didn't – I _couldn't_ – do. I gave in. If it's any consolation, your brother also faced – and failed – a similar test. Don't forget your brother and I were schooled in the ways of the Force. You had no such training."

Leia put a hand to her head and walked a small ways away. She then turned and faced her father, a finger pointed to her chest.

"_I_ chose not to give in, Father – I did. But what about any future children I might have?" Leia looked down at her hands. "Do you know what it means to me that I share the same blood with one of the most feared men in the galaxy? That I share the same temptation – the same weakness – to the dark side?" Leia brown eyes bore into Anakin's blue. "You gave in, Father, and look what happened." Anakin winced and looked away. Leia continued, "How can I – in good conscience – have a child that might one day be the next Lord of the Sith?"

Anakin walked over and grabbed Leia's hands in his own. "My daughter, I can't tell you what to do; that's not why I'm here. But can you deny your future children their own right to choose? They would grow up with a better childhood that I had – that much I know." Anakin swallowed and he looked down. "Because of me and what I've done, Luke is the last Jedi in the whole galaxy – or he could very well be the first in a new order. Whatever the case may be, our family is strong in the Force, Leia. Your brother will need all the help he can get." Anakin looked away briefly, his eyes taking on a faraway look. He then frowned and took a deep breath.

"I don't have much time but…there's another reason I showed up."

"What?"

He swallowed. "I – I just wanted to say that…I'm sorry for all I did to you, Leia."

Leia stared unblinkingly at her father before she let her hands slip away from Anakin's, her face hardening in disbelief. "You're…sorry? Everything you did: Alderaan…my torture…Han…Luke and who knows what else you've done…and you're asking for forgiveness? You want absolution from me?" Leia shook her head sadly. "You did the galaxy a service by killing the Emperor and saving Luke's life, and for that I'm truly grateful. But what you ask..." Leia blinked rapidly and wiped away something from her eye.

Anakin sighed deeply and nodded to himself. "I had hoped…though I see now that I might've been foolish in thinking so, but I guess that's the best I can hope for." He straightened and smiled sadly at his daughter. A hand came up and gently caressed a cheek.

"Goodbye, Leia." He then turned and started to walk toward the woods.

Leia watched as her father slowly moved farther and farther away. A part of her screamed that this was wrong; she knew – she felt – this was the only time she would ever see her father. A thought came to mind on how she considered Anakin Skywalker and the Darth Vader as two separate people, and then she realized something astonishing:

Leia, at her worst, had reined in her anger. If she had allowed it to stay and fester inside her, would that not be just as bad, if not worse, than giving into the Dark Side? Wasn't part of that anger what she felt towards the man walking away? If that small bit remained, then did she truly learn nothing this night?

Could she not find the strength and maturity to let it go altogether?

"Please wait!"

Anakin turned to Leia, who tentatively walked up to him one last time.

"Father…I – I can't forgive what the Empire did to me. I can never forgive what was done to all that I loved." Leia swallowed and looked straight into Anakin's deep blue eyes. "I can't forgive Darth Vader…but I can forgive _you_."

Anakin blinked several times and he sagged slightly. He then looked up gently and embraced Leia, who felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. They stood that way for several moments until Leia pulled back. She brushed away a tear.

"I do have one question, though."

"Anything."

Leia stared deeply into her father's eyes. "What was my mother like?"

A pang of remorse flashed through her father's eyes. Of what might have been…of what was lost…of what was never known.

"Let me show you," he said quietly and grabbed her hand.

The crackling fire, the forest…everything dissolved around her.

…_she saw her mother, painfully young, standing in some kind of parts shop, talking to the same young boy she chased. The same look of loving wonder in the boy's eyes she witnessed in the Falcon, she saw again here…_

…_her mother, now dressed up in elaborate makeup and dress, standing proudly in a floating platform, arguing her case before the Galactic Senate…_

…_a massive arena with a pitched battle of hundreds of Jedi and droids sprawled before her. Near the center, her mother, wearing a torn white dress, stood with younger looking Anakin bravely fighting off the enclosing machines… _

…_a light kiss and a secret marriage was sealed. Leia marveled at how truly beautiful and happy her mother looked as she stood there in a simple wedding dress, staring up at her husband… _

Before another thought could be made, a flash of light blinded her and she could even feel the surprise in her father. When it cleared, Leia found herself in some small room. The light smell of antiseptics in the air as well as trays nearby with medical equipment made her guess that it was some form of hospital room.

She glanced at her father and found him frowning. "This isn't your…"

"I have no memory of this place," Anakin said quietly. He then turned around. "I'm not sure why – " His voice abruptly stopped at an intake of breath.

Leia followed his gaze to a small bed nearby…and gasped at who was in it.

There, drenched in sweat and looking so very pale and exhausted, was her mother. Standing next to her was another individual, wearing similar Jedi robes as her father. Even though years younger than she remembered him, the face…even the beard, were dead giveaways.

"General Kenobi?" Leia whispered.

But the memory that was this man couldn't hear her. He looked down at a small bundle in his arms and a look of pained sadness etched his face.

"Padme," the older Jedi said. "It's a girl. What would you like her to be called?"

Slowly, painfully, her mother's eyes opened to look up at the man holding her child. She took a weak breath to speak, but when her eyes roamed past Kenobi, she stopped and her eyes widened…

…as they stared right at Leia.

For a brief moment, Leia thought the woman was delusional. But she could feel those eyes – those beautiful, distraught eyes, take her in.

Blinking rapidly, the princess whispered, "Mother?"

A small smile, clearing away all the pain and sadness, graced the older woman's features. A single tear of joy slid down her cheek as mother and daughter regarded one another across time and space.

A hand reached up, gently caressed the cheek of the small infant, and inched a little farther towards Leia, who hesitated, but also reached out.

They touched.

Leia could see and feel so much love and happiness in a single glance from her mother. And just before the hand fell away…just before her mother's eyes closed for the very last time, she took one last breath and said with a last, ephemeral smile:

"Leia."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Leia?"

Leia woke with a gasp at the hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see a concerned Han Solo standing over her.

"Hey, Princess, what's wrong – were you crying in your sleep?"

Leia bolted upright and looked around to see the console, co-pilot's chair and cockpit around her. She was still in the Falcon. A came up and she could feel the wetness, not to mention the puffiness, of her cheeks

"Han…what happened?"

The ex-smuggler shook his head. "Well, it took the better part of the night before communications could be established with the Corellian government, but I figured I'd let you sleep since you looked like you needed it."

Leia frowned. "Have you seen Luke?"

"I think he was around the main camp – "

"Thank you," was all Leia said before she abruptly leapt from the pilot's chair and left a befuddled Solo behind.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The ground was wet from rain, but the charred remains of a large fire were still visible. Luke Skywalker bent down and grabbed a small stone. He ran it through his fingers several times before he tossed it back.

"This was where you…took him?" Leia asked from behind.

Luke nodded. "It was all I could think of at the time." He turned and looked thoughtfully at this sister. "Leia, the more I think about what you told me, the more I think it must have been a Force vision."

"But – it felt so real!"

"It was real – in your mind."

Leia chewed on that for a moment and then looked away. "Luke, how did _you_ forgive him?"

Luke blinked. "It took a while, I can't deny that. I realized that I couldn't keep that pain – that anger – locked inside forever." He nodded thoughtfully to himself. "I guess it was a part of my last test before I could become a Jedi Knight. Facing Darth Vader meant not only having to confront and fight him, but confront what he was and what he did to me." Luke smiled sagely. "I wouldn't have been able to move on and become what I am if I hadn't."

Leia nodded slowly. "I think I understand. Darth Vader would never have asked for forgiveness, but when Anakin Skywalker – our real father – asked? I also knew I had to move on."

Luke sighed. "Leia, I honestly don't know what your future holds. Maybe you will become a Jedi…maybe not. But in terms of the Force, as Ben Kenobi once said to me, you've taken a small step into a larger world." He then slowly enveloped his hand over hers and both made to leave the final resting place of their father.

Leia stopped, glanced one last time towards the blackened area.

"Thank you."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A rather confused Han Solo waited back at the _Millennium Falcon_. When he watched Leia come out from the woods and towards him, he couldn't help noticing a more peaceful, more serene look to her.

"You going to tell me what this was all about?" Han said, crossing his arms. He'd half expected the Princess to just say nothing or tell him it was between her and Luke. But Leia just smiled and extended a hand.

"Walk with me?" she asked quietly. Han blinked but took the hand anyway.

"Is something wrong?"

She shook her head. "I just don't want anyone to interrupt us, especially any protocol droids that might be passing by."

Han chuckled and they walked for a short while. "What's on your mind, your worship?"

Leia stopped, grabbed the hands of the man she loved, and stared right into Han's eyes.

"Han…there's something I have to tell you."

**-FIN- **


End file.
